


I never asked you

by SleepingXandra



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU - Modern times, Depression, Frickle frackle in later chapters probably, I'm giving my own twist to the characters, M/M, No Uchiha Massacre, Probably Some OOC, Violence in Later Chapters, cursing, multiple side pairings - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-09
Updated: 2014-11-24
Packaged: 2018-02-20 11:10:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2426591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepingXandra/pseuds/SleepingXandra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sasuke promised himself never to look back at the mess he had made, but things change when he moves to London and is forced to look back on decisions he made in the past. He didn't expect a lot to happen in the following month, but he never expected to have to deal with his old friends, a road trip and a completely different dobe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! :) 
> 
> This is my first fanfic on Ao3 so bear with me haha.  
> I had some ideas for fanfics for a while and finally decided to just write one.  
> If I find the time to write more, I will probably also write other while this one is ongoing! 
> 
> I'm sorry, but i can't promise when I will update. I will try my best to do it as often as possible tho! Life is hectic. :) 
> 
> Lots of love.

"What!?"

Sasuke angrily slammed his fist onto the desk in front of him. He rarely lost his temper, but lately he had been too tired to keep his pokerface up.

"You don't have the right to do this, I own half of this company!"

The man who sat in front of him quietly watched as Sasuke threw his little anger tantrum. Once Sasuke retreated his arm from the desk and send a glare to him he cleared his throat.

"Otouto, I'm doing this for your own good. Mother and father would be horribly disappointed if they found out that their son is in the hospital, because he overworked himself."

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed in irritation by the mention of his parents.

"Well maybe father would be proud, but you know that mother would kill you. If you don't kill yourself first and seeing the bags under your eyes, the increase of ice glares to everyone around the office and the fact that you made several people cry, I would say it's time for you to take a break before you succeed."

"I don't need a fucking break Itachi, I'm fine!" Sasuke roughly dragged his hand through his hair.

Itachi eyed the man in front of him. If he had not been his older brother he would not have noticed the differences in his little brother's appearance. The slight dark circles under his eyes, the slouching and the small changes in his behavior, it all contradicted Sasuke's words.

"You are not fine and you know it yourself. It is only a month Sasuke, it's not the end of the world. You will still get paid, just go and have some fun."

Sasuke folded his arms and slouched even further into the chair he was sitting on.

"I don't need the stupid money and I don't see the point in 'having fun', I just want to work."

Itachi could see the slight pout that was threatening to form on his little brother's mouth. His eyes softened and a small smile appeared on his lips.

"Sasuke stop sulking and wipe that pout off of your face. You start to look more and more like Nar-"

"DON'T!" Sasuke jumped up; sending the chair he had been sitting on flying.

Itachi was slightly taken back from the sudden outburst by the mention of the blonde's name, it wasn't often that Sasuke raised his voice.

"Ever since you started working here you haven't had a single day off and I heard you never stopped working back in Tokyo either."

Sasuke had walked over to the giant window looking over on the streets of London, but by the mention of tokyo his shoulders had tensed and he had turned to face his brother.

"To be honest I don't think that you have given yourself a break after the funeral." Itachi knew he had crossed the line.

The effect was immediate; Sasuke's face became even paler and the anger in his eyes seemed to change into something completely else; regret. As his eyes followed his little brother's fingers, which had started to fiddle with something on his left wrist, he wondered if he had gone too far. He had a good idea about what was plaguing Sasuke's mind, but before he could speak up, he was interrupted by his smirking brother.

"Fine, I will take a month off, but only if you do the same." Itachi gave an exasperated sigh.  
"You know I can't do that, there are things I ne-"  
"Don't even start with that. I also have work to do and you know that Kakashi can take care of it for a month."  
"Kakashi isn't trained to do all of this on his own Sasuke."

Sasuke walked over to the fallen chair and pulled it up. He gave one last glance to Itachi and smirked.

"Well I guess I won't take the month off then.

With those last words he walked out of his brother's office, closing the door. Leaving a stunned Itachi behind.

"That little shit."

He quietly rubbed his temples and wondered why his little brother always had to make things so difficult. Others would have been jumping by the mention of a month of paid leave, but he knew that Sasuke was bad at doing nothing. Ever since Sasuke had announced that he was leaving to work at a company in Tokyo, he had known that something was wrong. The always closed off boy had completely shut everyone out once he had left; he hadn't even bothered to tell his best friend.

He stood from his chair and walked over to the window, pulling his phone out of his pocket and dialing his teamleader. He waited several seconds before someone picked up.

"Kakashi here."  
"Kakashi I need you to do something for me. Can you come to my office?"  
"Sure thing, be there in a sec."

He hung up the phone and sighed again. The things he did for his little brother.

* * *

At 7:30 the next morning Sasuke walked into the company building only to be stopped by the guard. The big shark like man stood in front of the elevator, blocking it completely.  
"What do you think you're doing?" Sasuke tried to walk to the side of him only to be stopped by a big arm.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, but I have orders not to stop you from entering the office."

The guard gave him a smirk as his eyes wandered to something behind the young Uchiha. Sasuke gave the man a sheepish look before he silently cursed under his breath.

"That prick, he can't keep this up for a month. I'll kill hi-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a hand covering his shoulder.

"Good morning little brother, I can see that you got the notice. Ah hey Kisame, good morning to you too."

"Good morning boss, he was here just as you said; 7:30 sharp." Kisame showed his sharp teeth as he smiled.

"Figures, let's go Sasuke." Itachi gripped the shoulder tighter and started moving to the exit of the building, tugging Sasuke with him.

The last thing Sasuke could see before he was dragged out of the building was Kisame smirking and giving a short wave.

When Itachi finally released his shoulder they were outside in a busy street. People were walking all over the place, trying to get to their job early, paperboys were biking while trying to dodge the pedestrians and plenty of sleek black cars were driving past them.

"So what do you want to do on this fine day?" Itachi looked around the street. "Maybe get some coffee and breakfast first?"

"I'll tell you what I want to do right now, Itachi. I want to go to work and I want you to stay away from my personal life." Sasuke sent a glare to the smirking older Uchiha.

"Otouto I AM the only personal life you have and as I already requested 1 month off for both of us, there is no need to go back inside. Let's go for coffee and we can discuss all of this." Without waiting for an answer he started crossing the busy road to, what seemed like, a small bistro across the street.

Sasuke stared after his older brother before sighing. He couldn't win this, since they were younger Itachi got what he wanted and over the years he became a pro in manipulating people.

He looked to the sides and waited several moments before the road was clear to cross, so he could reach the place Itachi had vanished in.

* * *

Spotting his brother already sitting at a small table next to the window, he walked over and sat down on the chair across from him.

"So what do you want to talk about then Itachi? If I can't go to work I want to go home, I don't have time for all of this." He waved his hand motioning around the small bistro.

"That's not going to happen Otouto, we are going to spend a nice day out and then figure out what to do the rest of the month, maybe we can have some bonding time? That's what mother always wanted us to have."  
  
A sound, that sounded suspiciously like a snort, came from behind the menu card his older brother was holding.

Sasuke looked at his brother like he grew another head. "She wanted us to do that when I was 6 or so, not 25. I don't see the point in any of this."

"Okay tell you what Sasuke, if you try to enjoy this month as much as possible without working. I will never ask you to take time off again. You can work yourself to death, if that is what you want, deal?"

Itachi morphed his face into the most frightening smile Sasuke had seen from his brother. He pondered over the idea. It seemed worth it, a month of doing nothing work related to be forever done with having to take days off. He pondered over the choice while looking around the bistro.  
  
Finally he let his eyes roam back to Itachi. 

"Fine, but I'm not going to take care of any of it. You can come up with stupid stuff to do." The moment the words had left his mouth and saw his brothers mouth form into a smirk, he regretted it. 

"It's a deal then. Now pick something to eat, the waitress has been looking at you ever since you walked in." 

Before he even had a chance to pick something from the menu that was placed on the table he heard a familiar voice.

"Sasuke?" He quickly looked up to see a girl with pink hair in a ponytail in front of him.

"Hey Sakura." He gave Itachi a quick glance to see a small smirk dance on his brother's lips as he greeted her.

"Hey Itachi! It's great to see you here! And wow Sasuke, it's been a while." Sakura's face seemed strained while she tried to keep smiling.  
  
"I hadn't expect you to be here. Me and Lee were just talking about you after we saw your brother step into here." She quickly glanced at Itachi and raised an eyebrow, who pointedly looked back.

Glancing back at Sasuke, he was wondering how his little brother would react to the situation.

"Lee? As in Lee from school? What is this, a reunion bistro?" He felt a kick against his shins, but continued to frown at Sakura.

Before Sakura could even respond he saw the man himself in front of him. Lee was dressed in a green chef's outfit with his bushy eyebrows still intact.

"Sasuke my youthful friend! What brings you here?" Lee's enthusiasm clearly hadn't cooled down over the years.

"Eating breakfast, which I would like to order now so i can leave." He looked at Sakura once more.

"Oh that's great! I would recommend the croissants! They are freshly baked!" Lee gave a thumbs up and wrapped his arm around Sakura's shoulders.

Itachi cleared his throat and agreed on the croissants, with 2 cups of coffee on the side.

"Are you also coming to the show toni-" Sasuke watched as Sakura hit Lee straight on the head before he could finish his sentence.

"Of course he isn't coming Lee, Sasuke is too busy for any of that, aren't you Sasuke?" Sakura's strained smile seemed to falter a bit, while trying to give Lee a warning glare. 

"I was just wondering, because the rest is also coming and we could catch up! Exchange our youthful lives with each other!" Lee rubbed the top of his head before giving Sakura a questioning look back.

Sakura lifted her eyebrows even further up.

"I'm sure that Sasuke is way too busy with whatever he has been doing for the past years." Sasuke felt something uncomfortable bubble up inside his stomach by the sneer in Sakura's voice.

Itachi decided to speak up, he had seen the emotion flashing through his brother's eyes.

"If I may ask, what is it that is happening tonight?"

Lee quickly looked at the owner of the voice before his eyes widened.

"Oh Itachi! I apologize; I didn't see you there. You see, we are performing tonight. You know about the band right?"

Itachi thoughtfully nodded before giving Sasuke a glance. The other Uchiha didn't notice the meaningful glance though, he was deep in thought trying to figure out how Itachi would have known about some band Lee was in and how the two even had met.

"Well if you know about the band you should totally come watch, we can use the support for our last gig! It's at a bar 2 streets away, next to the pizzeria we went for my birthday!"  
  
"The one with the cat baking a pizza on the window?"  
  
"Yes exactly!"  
  
"Hm yea we might drop by, it will be good for Sasuke to catch up with old friends and we have some time to spare."

Before Sasuke could object, there was a screaching sound in his ear.

"NO HE CAN'T BE THERE!" All of the customers in the bistro focused on the pink haired girl who's face was slowly getting red. She continued in a whisper.

"It might be 'oh so grand' for him to catch up after years of cutting us all off, but not everyone will be as forgiving. I think you especially know that Itachi."

She threw a disgusted look at Sasuke before continuing.

"This will be their last gig before we are leaving for the month, and we don't want a certain someone to completely lose it, right?"

The three males at the table quietly watched her as she turned around after those words and stalked into the kitchen to get their order.

"Don't mind her, she has been on edge lately. I think it has to do something with" Lee quickly glanced behind him to see Sakura looking at him from the kitchen with murderous eyes. "you know who." He gave Itachi a knowing look and Itachi nodded.

"How is he doing? Has he been doing better?"  
"No, not really, it seems like it has only been going worse. Hanging out has been cheering him up a bit though, but it's still not going great. Especially around summers and Christmas we need to keep an eye on him, and we definitely have to watch which songs we play."

Sasuke looked between Lee and Itachi with a growing interest. Who where they talking about and why were they using such vague terms? Were they talking about the dobe? No that was impossible, he was always doing great. A pang of hurt flooded through his system as he imagined the stupid dobe in front of him. He hadn't seen him in years, how could he know how he was doing?

"So the therapy hasn't helped then? I thought he was doing better a couple of months ago."  
"He was, because he got some good news, but apparently his hopeful feelings were left unheard and it all went even further down then." Lee glanced quickly at Sasuke before focusing back on Itachi, but Sasuke had had enough.

"Who are you talking about? And how do you two know each other anyways?"

Lee looked shocked at Sasuke before looking at Itachi.

"He doesn't know?" Itachi shook his head.

"What don't I know? Who is feeling bad?"

"I thought you knew about it. It's Naruto, he hasn't been feeling good for a while."

Sasuke could feel something tugging at his heart once the name was said. He tried to ignore it, but the 2 sets of eyes that were on him made him feel vulnerable. 

"The dobe sad? Are we talking about the same obnoxious idiot here?"

He saw something like anger flash in Lee's eyes before it was replaced by what seemed like sadness. Suddenly there was a bag of croissants and 2 cups of coffees pressed onto the table by a furious whispering Sakura.

"Don't you dare talk about Naruto like that; you have no idea what he has been through. You weren't there to see what happened with him, you fled without even telling him, without even so much as _helping_ him. You think you're a big man for coming here and calling him an idiot? The only idiot I see here is the huge dick that left his best friend hanging after his parents died. You really are filth and I want you to get the fuck out of here."

 

* * *

 

So here is chapter one!  
  
I hope you guys like it!

Lots of love.


	2. Chapter 2

An akward silence fell after the outburst. Lee was gaping at Sakura while Sasuke seemed to try to come up with anything to say. Itachi on the other hand was wearing an unimpressed face.   
  
"Alright then, I guess that was coming." Itachi silently coughed.   
  
Sakura threw a last glare at Sasuke, wished her goodbyes to the older Uchiha and dragged Lee away from the table.  
  
"Bye Itachi! Bye Sasuke! See you guys soon!" Lee gave a small wave before being dragged away through the doors that lead to the kitchen. 

Quiet whispers were going through the bistro, while Sasuke was still looking sheepishly at the door that Sakura and Lee had disappeared through.

After a moment Itachi threw a glare at the gaping customers, grabbing the bag and motioning Sasuke to come with him. When they passed the counter he quickly pressed some money down on it.

* * *

As they quietly made their way out and onto the streets Sasuke finally snapped out of his daze.

He didn't feel affected by the way Sakura had reacted, it was that what she had said had hit a sensitive spot. On top of that was the fact that the ever smiling Lee had showed anger for a moment. It had said enough about the seriousness of the situation.

He scoffed at the thoughts of Naruto feeling ill, it seemed highly unlikely. But how could he really know what was going on with the idiot, he hadn't been in contact for over 4 years.   
  
As if his brother had been reading his mind, he patted his shoulder  
  
"Things change and so do people, little brother. Life continued after you left, even for those that didn't want it to continue."   
  
He swallowed; it was true, he never thought about the lives of others after he had left. He had been too busy continuing his own life, but the thought of a changed Naruto made something twist in his gut. 

He could still remember the cheeky grin the blonde always wore. Never had Naruto lost his smile, though it had been fake some times. Even at his parent's funeral he had spoken fondly about old memories, sporting a big grin while tears were threatening to fall. Never had Naruto fallen apart, at least not in front of other people, but Sasuke wasn't stupid. He knew the dobe could never keep this façade up, sooner or later he was going to crack and apparently that was exactly what had happened.   
  
Another pain, that felt like a stab in his chest, went through him at the thought that he hadn't even known, hadn't even cared. He had left the person alone that helped him through most difficulties in his own life and never had he given him something back for it.

He finally woke up from his inner turmoil when he felt himself being pushed down on an old park bench. The wood creaked loudly when Itachi sat down next to him.

They were situated in a small park. As he took in his surroundings he couldn't help but notice how silent and secluded it was. It wasn't a surprise though, it was a Friday morning and people were rushing to get to work, no time for some relaxation in a park. The park's entrance was also covered with roses, fully in bloom, which seem to drown out the noises coming from the busy street. He had never bothered to look around him while walking to and from work.

"It seems that you aren't as smooth with words as you once were, little brother."

He looked to the side to see his brother staring at the small fountain in front of them, eating a croissant. It was a strange sight to see his brother so relaxed on some random park bench in the middle of a busy city. Now that he thought about it, he had never taken a good look at his brother ever since he moved to London.

The heavy burden that always seemed to push down on his brother's shoulders seemed to have lessen. The dark cloud that used to hang above his head had also dissapeared, together with Itachi himself from the Uchiha residence. His parents had even praised him for his leave, taking over Uchiha inc. in London. It had been his father's dream and Itachi had taken the chance as soon as he had gotten it. The only thing he had asked for was that Kisame, his best friend and today their loyal head of security could come with him. His parents and Kisame had agreed and the two had left a week later.

The only day he had seen Itachi back in Konoha was for the funeral of Naruto's parents. It had seemed quite strange that he had come back for that, seeing that he couldn't remember Itachi being that close to Naruto, or his parents. Itachi had stayed throughout the whole ceremony and even offered to drive Naruto to the Uchiha compound where he would be staying until they had figured out what would happen.

He didn't know when Itachi had left again. Sasuke himself had left the day after the funeral, not even bothering to say goodbye.

He hadn't seen his older brother for nearly 3 years after that, too busy working in Tokyo. When Itachi had asked him to transfer to London, to run the business there together with him, he had hesitated. He had a solid position in Tokyo and didn't want to give that up, but after persuasion from his parents saying that it would be 'good for his personal development' and the promise that if he didn't like it he could come back, he had went.

Never had he imagined sitting on some shabby park bench, next to his brother who was nearly finished with his croissant, after getting scolded by a girl he hadn't seen for 3 years. What was she doing here anyways, and together with Lee of all people? He had hoped that moving to the other side of the world had made sure that all ties were cut with Konoha, but apparently he had been sorely mistaken.

"Lost your tongue Otouto?" Itachi handed him the croissant and coffee that were probably already cold.

He blinked a couple of times before he took them from his brother's hands.

"Hn"

"Hn indeed. It doesn't seem like you handled that situation tactfully, wouldn't you agree?" There was a small smirk playing on Itachi's lips as he looked at Sasuke.

"I don't see how this is any of your business." Sasuke took a sip of his coffee and cringed, it had gone cold.

"On the opposite little brother, it seems like Sakura hit a sensitive spot. I wonder what it was exactly." Itachi's smirk disappeared and he shifted his gaze to the fountain again as if in deep thought.

"She didn't hit anything; she is just as obnoxious as she has always been. How come you are suddenly so close with them?"

"So it wasn't that she almost threw a chair at you for mentioning your old best friend in such a rude way then? Maybe it was the fact that you have no idea how he is doing? Or is it just pride?" Sasuke cringed at his brother's honest words.

"You are avoiding my question, how do you know them so well?"

"Hmm, I know them through Naruto, isn't that obvious? We met at home after you left and I've gotten to know them more since they moved to London, which is about 2 years ago."

Sasuke frowned. "I thought that you didn't care for forming friendships, and why didn't you ever tell me they were here?"

"Like I said before; people change." He sighed. "And I didn't know you were interested in your old school friends and besides, it never came up. Sakura and Lee aren't the only ones that are here by the way. I've heard from them that other friends joined them. It seems that Japan didn't have anything to offer to them. Or maybe they left for another reason, who knows right?" Itachi had a sad smile on his face, Sasuke wondered if he knew the real reason. 

"Answer my question now then; what did Sakura say that made you look like you hit a deer?"

Sasuke scowled and looked at the ground in front of him. He wanted to deny it, say that he was seeing things, but his brother would immediatly see the lie. He knew the answer, it was simple; he felt guilt. Guilt about not knowing what had happened, guilt about leaving the only person he cared about other than his family.

"You don't have to answer it you know, your face says enough."

He glared up at his older brother. "What do you mean 'your face says enough'?"

Itachi gave him a knowing smirk while looking at him from the corner of his eye. "You're my little brother, Sasuke. Every time I even mention Naruto's name, Tokyo or the funeral, you get even paler and you get this look in your eyes. Don't even try to deny it, I've been your brother long enough to see through your poker face Sasuke."

Sasuke tried to protest, but the words died in his throat and he snapped his mouth shut. Was it true? Had his stoic face been slipping lately? Or was it really just the fact that Itachi knew him too well? Probably the latter, he could still make people cry at the office with one look. Which had happened quite recently he remembered. It hadn't even been the poor girls fault for printing the wrong documents, but he had been on edge for the whole day and she had just been at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

"Hn, whatever."

"Exactly, that 'whatever' mentality has helped you a lot in the past, right Sasuke?" They were quiet after that.   
  
Sasuke finished his croissant and dumped the cold coffee in the garbage can next to the bench. The bench creaked as he got up.

"I'm going to assume that we are done here? I'm going home."

"Yes you may go home now Otouto, rest some, I'll pick you up at 8 tonight."

"Wait what? I'm not going anywhere tonight, this has been bad already."

"Yes we are, we are supporting your old school friend's band so don't dress like you are the mayor, loosen up a bit."

The words 'loosen up' seemed foreign from his older brother's mouth, but he decided not to mention it. It seemed that the decision was already made, and he honestly didn't mind spending some time with people and maybe uncovering a bit more about the dobe, but that didn't mean that he was going to give up easily.

"I'm not going, I have no need to see them again after that little fiasco."

Itachi sighed. "Your old friends Shikamaru and Neji will probably be there too. You kept a bit in touch with them since you left, right?"

Sasuke's breath hitched. Shikamaru and Neji were in town? He could vaguely remember that he had gotten an e-mail about something like that a week ago, but it had left his mind pretty soon after. Yes he had been in touch with them after he had left for Tokyo, mostly because he had seen them as valuable business partners. Neji had taken over the Hyuuga business and Shikamaru had started his own successful company after graduating.

It would be nice to go over some business deals with them, but he had a small suspicion that Itachi wouldn't let them talk about work too much. Nonetheless he sighed deeply and agreed with his brother to come with him. The more time he would spend with Itachi now, the faster he could go back to work. It seems like he did get easily convinced when business was involved, he didn't sacrifice years of his personal life for nothing.

"Good, I'll see you tonight at 8." Itachi gave him one last look and walked away.

As Sasuke walked to the underground garage of Uchiha inc. he couldn't help but think about tonight. If he had to face Sakura again he was in big trouble and he could really not see the appeal of a screaming pink haired girl in the middle of some shady club, but as he quietly got into his car and checked his phone he saw a message from an unknown number.

'[09:40] Itachi told me that you are going tonight anyways and I would recommend you not to go.' Sasuke frowned, he knew exactly who this was from.

'[09:52] Excuse me Haruno, but how did you get my number?'

Not thinking he would get an immediate reply, he wanted to shove his phone back into his pocket when it buzzed.

'[09:52] I got it from Itachi, clearly, and I'm glad to know that you know who you are talking to, that makes this a lot easier. Don't come tonight if you know what's good for you Uchiha.'

'[09:52] I probably forgot about the day that you became my mother, Haruno, Trust me, I'd rather spend my evening elsewhere than in some seedy bar, listening to trashy music with people like you.'

It stayed silent after that and he could imagine the damage that was currently being inflicted in the small bistro. He hoved his phone in his pocket and started the car. 

* * *

As he drove home he could feel his phone going crazy in his pocket, he would deal with it once he was home.

Halfway there he couldn't help but wonder who would be there tonight. It was sure that Lee and Sakura would be there and according to his brother so would Neji and Shikamaru, but Lee had said that that 'the rest' was also coming. Who had he meant except for the other 2? Kiba maybe? He had always been stupid and impulsive so a move to London wouldn't surprise him. Choji? A possibility as long as there was food near. Or could he mean the dobe?

Sasuke frowned at the thought. No he wouldn't do that; he would never leave Konoha. The idiot was too scared of the unknown. But Sakura did mention a road trip of some sort and had heavily implied that the dobe was coming with them.

A small spark of what seemed like hope had lit up inside his body. Sasuke sighed; he just had to wait till the evening to see and hope that his emotions would get down from the rollercoaster soon.

* * *

After what seemed like ages he parked his car in the garage and made his way up to his own apartment on the 7th floor.

Walking in he carefully hung his suit jacket on the coat rack and took off his shoes. He made his way into his bedroom, placing his bag next to his desk. Sitting on the bed he started undoing his tie and unbuttoning his shirt.

As soon as his pants were the only piece of clothing left he lay down on his bed. He hadn't been expecting to see Sakura again; it was only obvious that she was pissed off. She had been one of Naruto's best friend and one of the first to burst into his dorm room when he had gone too far while trying to insult the dobe.

Sakura had had a crush on him throughout high school until the first year in college, she finally got over it once she noticed that he would never return her affection and that there were other boys interested in her. It had given him a breath of fresh air to be able to sit in the library, studying together with the dobe and her, without having to feel annoyed about her constant praising and stares.

'Bzz'   
  
Sasuke groaned, he still had to read his messages. As he dug up his phone from his pocket he noticed he had 4 new messages and 3 missed calls.

'[10:05] Those people used to be your friends. Look, I don't know what happened between you and everyone, but I am telling you to not to come tonight. Trust me.'  
  
'[10:09] Goddamn it Uchiha, answer me.'  
  
'[10:13] Fine, whatever. Do what you want, it's not like you care anyways.'  
  
'[10:33] Okay, I just got off the phone with Itachi and I swear to god if you don't  
listen to him I will hurt you.'

Frowning at the messages he went to his call log. 3 missed calls from his brother. He sighed and dialed back.

"Sasuke"

"Itachi"

"Did you get Sakura's messages?" Sasuke sighed heavily.  
  
"What do you think?"

"Good, the thing is; I want you to not mention anything Naruto related tonight. No funeral, no parents, no leaving, no Tokyo, no questions about why they are in London, nothing, okay?"

"Whatever, I don't see why not."

"Just don't Sasuke, it's complicated enough as it is."

"Why are you doing this Itachi? I have no need to communicate or get back in touch with these people, I left for a reason."

"Trust me Sasuke, this is for the best and not only for you. Eventually you'll thank me and besides, don't try to convince yourself that you haven't missed them."

Sasuke snorted.  
  
"The day I will thank you for this is the day I will bake you a cake and dye my hair blue."

"..." It was silent for a moment after that, he could feel the shock coming from the other side of the line.

"Sasuke are you okay? Did you just make a joke?"

"Bye Itachi."

"I will still pick you up at 8 and we will drive past Sakura's place to pick her and Lee up too. It seems like she has something to tell you, try to listen."

Sasuke groaned. "Fine, whatever."

"Do you still have size 42?"

"What?"

"Your shoe size little brother."

"Yes it's still 42, why are you asking?"

"See you tonight Otouto."

Itachi hung up and Sasuke growled; Itachi was up to something. He shut his phone off. This had been the most social day he has had in years and he was already tired of it.

Sasuke let out a deep sigh again and rolled over, closing his eyes. If he was going to be home for a while he might as well catch up on some sleep, especially if he had to go out for the first time in years.

* * *

He woke up again at 5:45pm. It seemed he had needed the sleep. He stretched his body out and noticed the blue band that was hanging from his wrist. Naruto had tied it around his wrist on the day they graduated, 4 years ago. He still remembers the words the dobe had said once he was done tying it.

'I bought it when we went to Australia with that school trip and we got totally wasted, well you obviously didn't, but whatever! This way you won't forget the promise you made that night; that you would remove that icicle from your ass when you got the chance!' Naruto had said it with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face and had almost received a punch if it wasn't for his parents sitting 3 meters away from the stage.

Sasuke smirked at the memory; the trip to Australia had been more fun than he was willing to admit. But the best part about the graduation ceremony was what Naruto had muttered under his breath, after he was done laughing about Sasuke's constipated face. 'And this way you won't forget about me either.'

Naruto hadn't known that his best friend had heard it, but he had. It had made something in his heart ache.   
  
It had seemed ridiculous at the time; why would he leave the dobe alone?

He quickly stood up from his bed and walked to the bathroom once he started to notice he was drifting off again.

Stepping into the shower he let the powerful beam hit his back as he washed his body and hair. Letting himself totally relax he slowly continued with his shower routine.

Stepping out of the shower he glanced at the clock; 6:57. He had to hurry if he wanted to eat something before his brother would be here.

Quickly walking into his closet he searched through his clothes. Itachi had been right; he mostly owned suits that made him look like the mayor. There was no need for anything else, as he never went anywhere else except for work and the occasional business parties.

He dug through the back of his closet and came across a pair of black jeans and a button down shirt. It had been the only casual clothes he had brought from home, mostly thanks to his mother, who had said he needed some 'comfortable clothes'.

He quietly thanked his mother as he put them on and looked at himself in the mirror.   
  
He dragged his hands through his hair, it still looked the same as in college, only slightly longer. Naruto had called it a 'duck-butt hairdo', but he had caught the blonde trying to grow his hair out and style it the same. Saying it was for 'experimental reasons'.

As he gave himself a last look and tugged on the band around his wrist he made his way into his kitchen. Warming up some previously made tomato soup and making a sandwich, which he luckily just finished before he heard the doorbell.

He groaned and made his way over to the door, when he opened it he almost coughed up his sandwich. Itachi stood before him together with a smirking Kisame.  
  
Never had he seen Itachi dressed so casually. He was wearing jeans and a simple tshirt, his long hair hanging lose over his shoulder. 

"Ah I see that you found some clothes little Uchiha. You almost look normal, if only you can lose the constipated face it would be even better." Kisame gave him a grin that showed off his pointy teeth.   
  
"You sure those thight jeans aren't cutting off the blood circulation to your so-called brain?" Kisame's grin faltered.  
  
"Why you little-, no nevermind, good one." 

Sasuke smirked and turned to put on his shoes.  
  
"You're not wearing those shoes little brother, here you go, see it as your vacation present." He dropped a yellow bag in front of Sasuke.   
  
Sasuke scowled and grabbed the box inside of the bag. There was a pair of spiffy looking converse in there.   
  
"I thought that you would appreciate those, they're pretty simple, I even stopped myself from getting bright blue ones."   
  
He lifted his eyes to see Kisame looking excited.  
  
"Hn, I'm shocked that you would pick something not extravagant." Kisame narrowed his eyes.   
  
"Close enough to a compliment for me, let's go. We promised Sakura to be there soon."  
  
He and Itachi turned around and made their way back to the elevator.

Sasuke sighed one last time and stepped out of his apartment, locking his door. This was going to be a long night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops I'm sorry for the late update! I'm going to try to write more now since a lot of things irl have cleared up!  
> But here is chapter 2 c: I hope you guys like it, a lot of Sasuke's inner thoughts and just a little bit of back story.  
> I appreciate all the comments/favourites/follows a lot, i love you guys. <3
> 
> You can always shoot me a message there if you have any questions or if you want to become friends! I like talking to people so don't worry. c:
> 
> Adios!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I want to thank everyone for the incredible sweet words, favs and follows. <3 You guys are the reason why I have been writing a lot this week and I hope you guys like the new chapter! (I made it a bit longer, because you had to wait longer and I had to deal with chapter 698 feels.)**
> 
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Sitting in Itachi's car had been bad already, but sitting in the back of Itachi's car together with Sakura and Lee made his annoyance skyrocket to a whole new level.  
  
Sasuke hadn't bothered to look when Sakura came out of her apartment building together with Lee. She didn't spare him one glance, while Lee had been ecstatic to see that Sasuke was coming with them. He almost walked into an old lady with her trolley while he was enthusiastically waving.  
  
"Sasuke! I'm so glad you decided to join us tonight!" Lee squeezed right next to him in the leather backseat and slapped him on the leg. "I can't deny that I was a bit surprised when Itachi told us he convinced you, but it will be nice to catch up!"  
  
Sasuke tried to press himself even further against the window, but it was to no avail. Itachi's car wasn't the smallest car in London, but it still felt too small for Sasuke to keep his sanity. Especially now Lee was almost sitting in his lap, trying to have him join in the excitement.  
  
A snort came from Sakura's side of the backseat, she murmered something under her breath.  
  
"Did you say something, sweetcheeks?"   
  
Her eyes found a grinning Kisame.  
  
"I said that this is going to end in a disaster and I think we should just go home."  
  
"If you didn't want to go, then why did you?" Sakura threw an angry glare at Sauske, who was staring out of the window.  
  
"As if I would leave any of you people alone with Lee ever again. I can still clearly remember the state he was in when you brought him back home last time you wanted to go out." Sakura had shifted her glare to the back of Itachi's chair.  
  
"Ah come on Sakura it wasn't that bad, he was still able to recognize you at least."  
  
"And he was still able to walk."  
  
"Exactly, that couldn't be said about someone else in this car." Kisame threw a sly look at Itachi who just hummed in agreement.  
  
"Yes I agree; that wasn't my best moment." A small smirk was playing on his lips as he threw a glance at Kisame. "But I also remember someone having to stay over at my place, because he 'desperately needed to make sure I was okay'".  
  
Kisame chuckled and glanced out of the window, trying to ignore the heat that was creeping up from his neck.   
  
Sasuke wondered how much he really knew about his older brother. Itachi never used to go out, maybe once or twice on his birthday, and only if Kisame made him go, but that was pretty much it. Itachi never had a big social life, neither did Sasuke, but it seemed like the older Uchiha had been going out with _his_ old school friends. The thought shook him slightly. Itachi never even went out with him, so why did he go out with these morons?  
  
"It was actually really great Sakura! We should try to go out there again some day, this time you should come! Take Ino! And we'll take Sasuke as well!" Lee had the most exciting smile on his face while he was shaking Sakura's arm slightly.  
  
"Ino is also in town?" Sasuke looked at Kisame, who turned in his seat and looked at the silent passenger.  
  
"Yea, she has been here for quite some time. I think she came together with Kiba. She has been doing quite well to be honest; she is currently enrolled in some fashion school here. She pulled some strings back in Japan." Kisame gave a small smirk. "It seems like you weren't the only one who had big plans, right?"  
  
There was another snort heard from Sakura and Kisame threw her an annoyed look.  
  
"If you're going to be a little bitch all night, why don't we drop you off right here and you can walk home? Just say what you have to say and be done with it." It seemed like Kisame had been picking up on the hostile air that was radiating between Sasuke and Sakura, but just as Sakura had opened her mouth to respond the car came to a still.  
  
"It seems like that wouldn't be much of help since we're already at the parking garage." Itachi turned around slowly, wearing an annoyed look. "But if you two don't settle this stupidity just for tonight, I'm going to have to do something about it." The threat hung heavily in the air.  
  
"You two are acting like children. Sasuke I thought you would be more grown up by now, but it seems I was wrong. And Sakura you have been acting like a spoiled brat, going off like a ticking time bomb and snorting like you are on cocaine. Compromise for tonight or don't show up."  
  
It was deadly silent in the car and Sasuke tried to pull the most unimpressed face after getting reprimanded by his brother.  
  
There was a click and before anyone could say anything Sakura had stepped out of the car.  
  
Four pairs of eyes followed her walking around the car and almost wrecking the door on the other side off of its hinges.  
  
"Let's go Uchiha, I don't intend to spend my evening in a cold garage."  
  
Sasuke gave her an annoyed look, but didn't make any movement whatsoever.  
  
Kisame heaved a sigh. "Little Uchiha, just go. I don't want to have to walk home because she broke the car."  
  
Sasuke begrudgingly grabbed his coat and slung his long legs out of the car. Standing up he noticed that Sakura hadn't grown since university, but the look of murder on her face sure had developed.  
  
After putting on his jacket he felt a hand tugging on his wrist, dragging him to what seemed like a staircase.  
  
"Don't wait for us, just go to the bar already. I know where it is, we'll meet you there." Sakura waved at Lee with a small smile.   
  
Sasuke frowned; how did this girl shift from hostile to happy so fast? It had always been Naruto's role to switch between emotions like a hurricane, he couldn't remember Sakura ever picking up on that annoying trait.  


* * *

  
For the third time that day he was dragged along, until they were standing next to some stairs in a small-secluded part of the garage.  
  
There was a variety of posters hanging on the wall next to the stairs; some looked brand new, others looked like they had been hanging there for years. Band posters, election posters, there were even pictures plastered between them. The wall looked like some big moodboard that people used for their own pleasure.  
  
Sakura let go of his arm with a huff and sank down on the stairs, resting her head on her hands, a frown forming on her face. She motioned for Sasuke to do the same, but Sasuke just kept standing in front of the poster plastered wall, earning an exasperated sigh from Sakura.  
  
"So?" Sakura gave the back of Sasuke's head a piercing glare.  
  
"So what?" Sasuke was still facing the wall.  
  
"So what? Are you serious? You don't know what I want to talk about?" Sakura averted her eyes to the ground in front of her and tapped her shoe on the broken floor.  
  
"Hn" Sasuke shrugged, letting his eyes wander over a picture of 2 girls that were entwined and laughing like they were mad.  
  
"Don't you 'hn' me Uchiha, you know damn well why we need to talk. Trust me I don't want to talk to you either, you cowardly piece of shi-." She stopped before finishing the sentence and took a deep breath, trying to drown back the anger that was once again trying to surface.  
  
"Okay let's start easy then. Why are you here? Why aren't you still in Tokyo?"  
  
This slightly surprised Sasuke, he had thought that Itachi would have told her about him moving here if they were as close as it seemed.  
  
"I am here to work, seems pretty obvious to me."  
  
"Didn't you have a job in Tokyo?"  
  
"Yes I did." Sasuke straightened a drooping poster and saw that it was a poster for a restaurant, offering a discount to couples. He snorted; people were terribly desperate to earn money nowadays.  
  
"And? Why did you move here?"  
  
"I don't see why this is relevant to any of this, it's really none of your business Haruno." He released the poster again as he took a step to the right looking at some more pictures.  
  
Sakura's hands had balled into fists at his words.  
  
"Well I think it _is_ relevant Uchiha, especially if you decide to stay here and not have everyone spit you out."  
  
"Hn, it doesn't seem like Lee is having a problem with it."  
  
"Lee is too nice for his own good and don't think that he likes you right now. Nobody does, it's just that he is trying to mend things."  
  
They fell quiet for a while after that, letting the words seep in.  
  
Sasuke looked at another picture and snorted. A guy was pulling his pants down at the camera, a cellphone number was hastily written under it.   
  
"We're going to stay here until you answer my questions you know. We are too far away from your place for you to walk and you don't know where the bar is; so start talking."  
  
Sasuke frowned at Sakura's words. He could just take the bus or a taxi if he so wanted, but he had questions of his own that needed to be answered.  
  
After another set of silent minutes, except for the cars that sometimes drove in and out of the garage, Sasuke looked over his shoulder at Sakura and let out a small sigh.  
  
"I moved here because my parents thought it would be a great opportunity and because my brother asked me to." His eyes had started wandering again, but came to a halt when he came across a picture of 3 guys, obviously friends.  
  
All three were shirtless and completely covered in mud, almost making it impossible for them to be recognized. He had thought almost, because Sasuke would recognize the bushy eyebrows that adorned one of the faces everywhere.  
  
"Itachi asked you?" There had been a tinge of panic in Sakura's voice as she asked the question. "Why?"  
  
"Sakura, what is Lee doing in this picture?" Completely ignoring her question, he tried to figure out whom the other two were, an unfamiliar feeling starting to bubble in his stomach.  
  
The guy next to Lee was laughing and had his hand on top of the third guy's head, pushing his face down, making it impossible to see.  
  
Sakura had pushed herself off of the stairs and stood next to Sasuke.  
  
"Ah so they put it here, figures." Sasuke could see a small smile playing on Sakura's lips. "It was at the finish of some mud run they participated in. I was wondering why Lee had printed this one out, this explains a lot."  
  
"Who is this?" Sasuke pointed at the laughing guy next to Lee.  
  
"Who do you think it is? Look closely, I thought an Uchiha didn't forget anything." Sakura was closely looking at Sasuke's face as he leaned in a bit more towards the picture.  
  
As he focused more on the face he could see certain details coming to his attention. The two sharp looking teeth that were visible in the guy's mouth, the hair that seemed to be having the same colour as the mud, but what made Sasuke's eyes widen were the barely visible red streaks that were covering most of his cheeks.  
  
"Inuzuka."  
  
"Bingo." Sakura was still looking curiously at Sasuke's face as he tried to recognize the third guy on the picture.  
  
The guy was pushed down and even more covered in mud than the others, but it was still possible to see the tanned skin and blonde hair. His breath hitched in his throat.  
  
"The dobe?" It almost came out as a croak, but Sasuke quickly recomposed himself.  
  
Sakura had seen the slight paling of the Uchiha's face and heard the slight waver in his voice.  
  
"Naruto? No that's a friend of Kiba that was coming over for the weekend. They look oddly familiar though, don't you think?"  
  
Sasuke was feeling like he had swallowed a rock. Nonetheless he put on his signature-bored face and turned around, walking over toward the other wall and leaning against it.  
  
Sakura sighed and took a seat on the stairs once again.  
  
After a moment of silence she apparently remembered her question from before.  
  
"So why did Itachi asked you to come to London?"  
  
"Tell me when you figure that out." Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes.  
  
Sakura closes her eyes and seemed to be deep in thought, opening them again when Sasuke coughed.  
  
"So what are you doing here?"  
  
Sakura raised her eyebrows at Sasuke.  
  
"Why do you want to know? It doesn't seem like you are that interested in what people have made out of themselves, what is it to you?"  
  
"Just answer the question Sakura. It all seems quite suspicious that all of a sudden half of Konoha is popping out of the ground."  
  
"I didn't know that were on first name basis again, but that's fine by me, and if you mean that you think we are stalking you, you are dead wrong. We sure as hell aren't here for you." Sakura frowned. "Besides, we were here before you."  
  
"Hn" Sasuke hadn't thought about that, they couldn't have known Sasuke was going to London, he hadn't even known for himself.  
  
"And to answer your question; Lee and I moved here together around 2 years ago. He went here once with his school hurdle team and got scouted, I convinced him to go actually." The frown disappeared from Sakura's face. "He works part-time at the bistro and I work there full-time, until I figure out what I'm going to do."  
  
"Didn't you study medicine?" Sasuke frowned at the thought of Sakura throwing away her education to work in some small bistro; it seemed dumb.  
  
Sakura raised her eyebrows. "Ah yes I did, I didn't think you would remember. I've been applying to a lot of medical centers here, but it's quite hard to get a job. Especially when your mother tongue isn't English, but I'll keep trying. I've got plenty of other things to do now."  
  
"Your English is fine. A lot better since university, you were a train wreck back then."  
  
"Wow Uchiha, that almost sounds like a compliment", a smirk appearing on her face.  
  
"Whatever, take it as you want."  
  
It was silent once again as a couple walked passed them, the girl supporting the obvious drunk guy.  
  
When they were out of the staircase Sakura cleared he throat.  
  
"So the real reason I dragged you back here is not to interrogate you about why you left Konoha, that's a talk for another time and I think other people want to hear that too. It's mostly because there are some things that I need to make clear before we go to the bar. See it as a business deal."  
  
Sasuke raised his eyebrows.  
  
"You see there will be others there tonight and I already called them to tell them you will be there too. They all agreed to have as general conversations as possible, but there are some topics that need to be avoided."  
  
"Hn"  
  
"Don't say anything regarding Naruto; I think that you already figured that out though. I don't think that you want to talk about him that much anyways, seeing as you look even more like a vampire when someone mentions him."  
  
Sasuke sent her a glare. "Why would I ever want to talk about the idiot anyways? I have better things to talk about." He hadn't meant it, but he couldn't handle the way Sakura was trying to imply things.  
  
Sakura slowly stood up from the stairs and walked towards Sasuke until she was inches away from his face, her face turning more red by the second. Just as Sasuke thought she was going to burst, she let out a huff and shoved her hands into her coat pockets.  
  
"Keep telling yourself that Sasuke."  
  
Sakura took a step back and started tapping on the floor again.  
  
"There will be some surprises tonight, but please don't try to make a scene." With that Sakura walked to the door and looked over her shoulder. "Agreed?"  
  
Sasuke looked at her for a while, trying to figure out what she had meant by that. Not being able to figure it out he shrugged.  
  
"Yes whatever, let's go."  
  
Sasuke pushed himself away from the wall, wanting to walk through the door when an arm blocked his way. He looked up annoyed to see a worried expression on Sakura's face.  
  
Seeing her in the terrible light of the parking garage made him see how much Sakura had aged. Her hair was still that terrible pink, but it seemed less lively and her once big green eyes had some sort of sadness in them.  
  
"What now then Haruno?"  
  
"You are one day going to tell me why you made the choices you made, okay? Oh and don't call anyone by their last name tonight, we're with friends after all."  
  
With those words Sakura pulled her arm back and walked away, expecting Sasuke to follow her.  
  
'With friends? I haven't seen these people in years and she is talking about friends.' Sasuke gave one last look around the staircase and the picture of Kiba and Lee before walking after Sakura, joining her in her steps.  
  
"Aren't you wondering who will be there tonight?"  
  
Sasuke stopped in his tracks and threw a glance at Sakura.  
  
"Hn, I guess."  
  
"I already thought so, although I am surprised that Itachi didn't tell you though."  
  
They walked out of the parking garage, turning left. Sasuke could feel the warm evening air blowing against his face as they continued walking down the street. Cars were passing by, drivers looking greedily for a parking spot. That one spot that would make a 10 second difference from just parking in the parking garage.  
  
Sakura cleared her throat, making Sasuke look away from a red car that was currently trying to park in a space that could barely fir a motorcycle.  
  
"Well you know about Lee and me now and clearly Shikamaru and Neji are here, they send you an e-mail after all. You heard about Ino and Kiba in the car and that leaves.." Sakura had stopped in the middle of the sentence, glancing up to the sky and chewing her lip. "Nobody, that was all." She quickly started walking a bit faster.  
  
There was some sort of disappointment going through Sasuke, making him miss Sakura's strange behavior. It seemed like the dobe was still home, as he expected. But still he couldn't shake off the feeling that it would have been nice to see him again. Seeing how he was doing, maybe even riling him up as in old times. He would probably be punched in the face and spat on though and Sasuke couldn't blame him for that. He quickly shoved the thoughts away, he was being ridiculous, all of this immature drama was just getting to his head.  


* * *

  
It remained silent for the remainder of the walk. It took them only 5 more minutes to reach the bar. On their short way there they had already seen plenty of piss drunk people walking around, which wasn't too surprising on a Friday night. What had been surprising though was the amount of people that seemed to be in the bar as they entered.  
  
It wasn't a small bar, but still all the tables and chairs were taken, some people were even sitting on the floor. Apparently it wasn't really that much of a bar either, because as he looked at the back there was a big space filled with a stage and even more tables with chairs.  
  
As Sasuke tried to take in the unexpected surroundings and people, he felt a light tug on his coat and he soon was led through the crowd coming to a stop at a table with familiar faces.  
  
"Hi everyone, sorry for being a bit late!" Sakura shrugged off her coat and made way to greet everyone.  
  
"Sasuke! You're really here! I thought Sakura was making some sick joke!" Ino had jumped up from her chair to give Sakura a hug.  
  
Sasuke gave Ino an annoyed glance before glancing who else was sitting at the table.  
  
Itachi and Kisame had taken off their coats and were talking to Neji, who had his eyes on Sasuke. Shikamaru nodded at Sasuke and tugged Ino back into the chair next to him. Sasuke kept searching for Kiba or Lee, but they weren't there.  
  
"Is Lee already backstage?" Sakura made a questioning face at Shikamaru who nodded.  
  
"He went there like 10 minutes ago. I think they are going to set everything up soon, glad that they didn't ask me to help this time, it's too troublesome and they are too picky." Shikamaru took a sip of his beer and looked up at Sasuke, raising his eyebrows "Aren't you going to sit down?"  
  
Sasuke was still feeling a bit put on the spot by the looks he was currently receiving, but nodded his head to everyone and took off his coat, hanging it over the empty chair next to Shikamaru.  
  
As he sat down a waitress made her way over to the table asking them if they would like anything else to drink.  
  
He looked her up and down; she was wearing tight jeans and a black top, there was a small blush dusting her cheeks as she fluttered her eyelashes at him. Sasuke grimaced.  
  
When he grumpily ordered a beer and the waitress left, Ino had reached over Shikamaru.  
  
"I'm going to assume that Sakura spoke to you about tonight? Like knowing when to shut up?"  
  
Sasuke gave her a mocking look. "It seems like I shouldn't have been the only one getting that talk from her."  
  
Ino was going to open her mouth to give him a piece of her mind, but was quickly tucked back in her seat by Sakura who started whispering in her ear. Apparently what she said had calmed Ino down as she bent over Shikamaru once more.   
  
"We're going to have a word with you later Sa-su-ke, but for now let's enjoy this wonderful evening." The sinister tone and the sparkle in her eyes didn't match her smiling face and a chill almost ran up Sasuke's spine.  
  
He averted his gaze from Ino to his brother. Itachi was looking at him from across the table and gave Sasuke a nod. There was some sort of smirk playing on his older brother's lips. Sasuke frowned and tried to decipher what was currently humoring his older brother.  
  
He couldn't think of anything and decided to take in his surroundings a bit more. The stage seem to cover a decent amount of space, but it still fitted quite a lot of people. There were people leaning against the walls and luckily most of the people wanted to stay close to the bar, giving people enough space to sit in the open space to talk.  
  
The crowd seemed to be diverse. He could see teenagers and adults, ranging from what looked like students to business people still in their suits. All chatting and laughing with each other, it was a strange sight.  
  
"Liking the space?" He looked away from the stage to see Shikamaru looking at him.  
  
"It's okay, better than some other places I've been."  
  
"You can say that again, this is one of the classier places they have been dragging me to." Shikamaru took another gulp of his beer.  
  
Ino turned around in her seat, apparently have heard what they were talking about. "There are some shady places around here. Sakura and me were in a bar last Saturday and apparently it was some sort of stag bar. I don't think we ever left a bar faster. Not that you would know what a bar usually looks like. Probably too social for you, right Sasuke?"  
  
Ino gave a grunt as Sakura elbowed her side.  
  
Sasuke could hear a whispered 'cut it out Ino, now isn't the time'.  
  
He turned around again and looked at the people that were currently getting seated next to them.  
  
He couldn't believe that he was actually doing this. Sitting in some bar talking to people that he hadn't seen since university. This was stupid; this whole idea had been stupid. Why had he agreed?  
  
That had been a stupid question though; he knew damn well why he had come. It hadn't been the deal he had with Itachi, it had been the silent hope that the idiot would have been a bigger idiot and moved here.  
  
Apparently he had been the idiot himself, because the dobe wasn't here and instead he had to spend an evening getting glares from Ino, a whispering Sakura, a smirking Itachi, knowing looks from Kisame and a bored Shikamaru right next to him.  
  
Sasuke sighed, getting a look from Shikamaru.  
  
"I don't think I ever heard you sigh. You want to talk about it?"  
  
Knowing that he could trust Shikamaru, but also knowing that Ino and Sakura were probably eavesdropping on their conversation he took a sip from the beer that had just been placed in front of him and faced the other man.  
  
"No."  
  
"Troublesome."  
  
Shikamaru took another swig from his beer and seemed to switch looking from Itachi to something else.  
  
"Ah I think I already know, seeing from the looks Itachi is giving you and the stage, I'm going to assume you didn't know about him being here. I could have guessed Sakura wouldn't have told you."  
  
Sasuke gave him a confused look, but before he could ask Shikamaru what he was talking about a familiar voice filled the room.  
  
"Ah hey everyone! Thanks for coming tonight, this will be our last performance before our 1 month break. After that we will be back with more tunes though! We are just finishing setting everything up and then we'll be ready to go!"  
  
He quickly registered the concerned look Itachi was throwing him and the furiously whispering Kisame next to him, before Sasuke whipped his head towards the stage.  
  
When his eyes fell on a familiar mop of blonde hair it felt like someone sucker punched him in the stomach.  
  
Naruto.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 700 completely destroyed my inspiration so I took some time to get myself together! Thank you for your patience, I'm going to try to write more! :)
> 
> I want to thank everyone for all the kudos, follows and comments!  
> You guys cheer me up and keep me motivated while writing!  
> 

He hadn't anticipated the mortified look on his little brother's face. Itachi wasn't really sure what he had been thinking at all by bringing him here, at the time it had seem like a good idea.  
  
Getting Sasuke to meet up with his old best friend seemed like the right thing to do for him, but seeing his brother's face pale drastically and seeing how his hands were currently digging into his leg, maybe he had made a mistake.   
  
The encounter with Sakura and Lee at the bistro hadn't been a coincidence, he knew they were working there. He also knew that Sasuke would be angry, but he had slightly hoped that over the years he had started to see the value of having close friends.  
  
A pang of guilt went through him, he hadn't thought about how Sasuke really felt at all about the situation. The last time they had spoken about something personal was at the funeral and even then there hadn't been much to say.  
  
Of course he had sent the usual birthday and Christmas cards, but that was about it. They had gone from talking daily to never talking at all.  
  
Even when Sasuke had moved to London they had only spoken about work or the family back in Japan. It was like he didn't even know his little brother anymore, he had no clue about what Sasuke was really thinking.  
  
The day his father had offered him to go to London, was the first time in a while that he had felt hope for something. It was an opportunity to leave and he had taken it with both hands, not thinking twice about Sasuke.  
  
He could still remember how his little brother's face had turned from a smirk, into an emotionless mask when he had told him. It hadn't been an easy conversation, but Sasuke eventually seemed pretty okay with it all. Obviously he knew better, Sasuke was far from okay with it, but he had ignored it, being too wrapped up in his own plans.  
  
The day he had left Sasuke had stood on their porch seeing him off together with his parents, his father's hand firmly on Sasuke's shoulder. A gesture he recognised too well; it was time for Sasuke to meet certain Uchiha expectations, seeing as he was almost graduating.  
  
Thinking back about the way he had left made Itachi swallow; he had been horribly selfish. Just like his father, the reason he had left in the first place.  
  
As he slowly looked at the group of people that were currently staring at Sasuke, he heard a furious whisper in his ear.  
  
"Are you fucking kidding me Itachi? You didn't tell Sasuke anything, not even a small clue? I knew that it had to be kind of a surprise, but you should have given him a little heads-up." Kisame was grabbing his shoulder in a tight grip, making Itachi's right eye twitch.  
  
He could only shake his head; he had thought Sakura would tell Sasuke in the parking garage. It seemed he had been mistaken.  
  
"It's a good thing you told Naruto about this, otherwise you probably won't survive this night."  
  
Itachi's eyes widened, slowly turning in his chair to face Kisame.  
  
Kisame took one glance at the wide-eyed Itachi and started cursing under his breath.  
  
"This is a joke right? He _does_ know Sasuke is here? Please tell me he knows."  
  
Itachi shook his head before he faced his little brother again. Sasuke was still completely frozen in his chair, his eyes sweeping over the blonde, who was currently facing the crowd once again.  
  
He felt Kisame's hand disappear from his shoulder, before a warm breath hit his ear.  
  
"You're a dead man Uchiha."  


* * *

  
Sasuke didn't know if he wanted to laugh or scream, eventually opting for shock.   
  
There stood his old best friend, just as cheerful as he remembered. The idiot was currently scratching the back of his neck, a nervous old habit he apparently hadn't lost.  
  
His hair was still the colour of the sun and sticking out in all directions, reflecting the lights that were pointed at the stage. A big smile beamed off of his face as he sent a small wave to the audience.  
  
His clothes caught his eye the most. Grey jeans and a shirt that, Sasuke could only assume, said the band's name; 'The Konoha foxes', how typical. The dobe had always used that name when he was talking about him and the other idiots; Kiba and Lee.  
  
To any other person it would seem like a normal outfit, but something made him frown. Where was the orange the dobe was always so fond of?  
  
He had never seen Naruto without wearing any orange. Even in his tux on graduation day he had worn an orange tie, much to his mothers dismay.  
  
When Naruto walked off of the stage Sasuke averted his eyes and turned back to the group, frowning at the table in front of him.  
  
Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for something to happen.  
  
Ino cleared her throat and stood up. "Ehh.. I'm going to go to the stage, we're starting soon apparently." With those words she gave Itachi a questioning gaze and walked away, slapping Shikamaru slightly on his cheek.  
  
Sasuke looked up from the table to see that Shikamaru and Kisame meanwhile had switched places. Shikamaru, sporting a big frown, was quietly conversing with Itachi.  
  
He could see Kisame looking at him from the corner of his eye and turned around.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You didn't know, did you?" There was something that sounded like concern in the older man's voice.  
  
"Hn." Sasuke looked away again and took a swig from his beer; it seemed tasteless.  
  
"I already figured. Itachi really fucked this one up."  
  
"Don't speak about my brother like that." He could feel the irritation slowly building up in the pit of his stomach.  
  
Kisame snorted. "Say what you want little Uchiha, but he didn't handle all of this tactically. Especially not since he depended on Sakura to tell you about this, it seemed quite obvious to me that she wouldn't tell you anything. She probably didn't want you to chicken out once you decided to come."  
  
Sasuke remained silent, he knew Kisame was right. Why hadn't Itachi told him anything about Naruto? And why hadn't Sakura told him?  
  
He knew it was a stupid question. Sakura didn't want him here, because of Naruto, but why? And why hadn't she pressured him more into not coming, she could have left him in the parking garage.   
  
The dobe seemed fine with him being here anyways; if he weren't fine with it he probably would have made a scene. The same could have been said for Kiba, who was currently sitting behind his drums, grinning like mad. They both sure weren't known for their calm behaviour.  
  
Naruto and Lee made their way on stage again, both carrying guitars. Ino was already standing at the microphone, looking nervously between the group and Naruto, as if she was checking something.  
  
When her eyes connected with Sasuke's she visibly gulped and walked over to Naruto, who was excitedly slapping Lee on the back.  
  
Ino stood on her toes as she whispered something in Naruto's ear, but he just grinned at her and pushed her back to the microphone. She sighed, faced the crowd and forced a smile on her face.  
  
"Hey everyone! We're the Konoha Foxes and we will be playing tonight for you guys. Thank you for having us and we hope you will all kick back and relax! Make sure to greet Charlie the bartender, as it is his birthday tonight, Happy birthday Charlie!"  
  
People around the bar started clapping and the big guy that was manning the bar waved at Ino, a blush dusting his cheeks.  
  
"I also want to thank some special guests for being able to make it here tonight! Neji and Shikamaru, I know it was 'such a drag'," Ino used her fingers to emphasize the lazy genius's catchphrase, "to be here tonight, but know that we truly appreciate it that you are here to listen to our last show before our break." Shikamaru snorted and Neji lifted his beer while a small smile was tugging on his lips.  
  
Ino looked behind her and gave a curt nod to Kiba, who started counting down.  
  
Sasuke's eyes focused on the blonde, Naruto had started strumming a soft melody on his guitar, his eyes remained on him as long as they played.  


* * *

  
After a couple of hours Ino announced their last song. People had been walking to and from their table and he could hear conversations being picked up between his old friends. He didn't participate in their high spirits and nobody had bothered to strike up a conversation with him. He had been hoping that the blonde would throw a look at their table, getting a small sign of recognition, but he never got one.  
  
He felt a hand on his shoulder; finally breaking his stare from the stage he looked next to him. Kisame had a grin on his face, but there was some sort of emotion in his eyes that he couldn't place, he didn't bother asking.  
  
"I think it's time for us to leave."  
  
Sasuke frowned at the words.   
  
"Why?"  
  
Kisame seemed surprised at the words and shot a look at Itachi.  
  
"Well we've seen the band, you've seen your old friends and it's getting late."  
  
He didn't want to leave, he wanted the dobe to acknowledge his presence.   
  
"I think w-"  
  
"Naruto doesn't know you are here Sasuke," Kisame looked pained as he spoke the words out loud, "and I don't think this is a good time for you two to see each other."  
  
The irritation that had resurfaced quickly turned into something that felt like nausea.  
  
"What do you mean the dobe doesn't know I am here? Didn't anyone tell him?"  
  
Kisame shook his head. "No, apparently someone," he shot an angry look at Itachi who was slowly standing up, "forgot to mention something to him."  
  
Sasuke gulped. Naruto didn't know he was here; the dobe had no idea who had been staring at him for the last couple of hours like some crazy stalker.  
  
It finally clicked in his mind. He couldn't talk to him right now, knowing Naruto it would end in disaster. The dobe always loved surprises, but not surprises like this; he wouldn't take it well.  
  
Sasuke stood up and looked at his brother who was standing next to Kisame, saying his goodbyes to the rest of the group.  
  
As Itachi turned around to look at Sasuke he saw that the corners of his older brother's mouth were turned downwards. Sasuke raised his eyebrows; his brother never showed any clear signs of worrying in front of others.  
  
Itachi bumped into Kisame's shoulder. "I'm going to go to the bathroom and then we are leaving immediately." Itachi tried to pull a neutral face, failing miserably. Sasuke could see the nervous glances he was giving Kisame from the corner of his eye.  
  
'Since when does Itachi mention anything he does?' Sasuke pondered and sank back into his chair.  
  
This was getting ridiculous, why would they leave already? He wasn't the type of person that would run away from things. Especially not run away from the dobe.  
  
Sasuke swallowed, he knew he was being a selfish prick.He had ran away from the dobe before, on the worst day he could have picked.  
  
After a couple of minutes the band stopped playing and thanked the crowd again before walking off the stage.  
  
Kisame started tapping his foot nervously on the floor while checking the watch he was carrying on his left wrist.  
  
"What the hell is taking him so long? It's just a piss, c'mon Itachi we need to go." Sasuke heard the mumbling from Kisame and stood from his chair, finishing the beer he had previously been drinking.  
  
"I'll go get him."  
  
Kisame nodded. "I'll see you guys at the entrance, don't forg-." before the tall man could finish his sentence, Sasuke disappeared in the crowd.  


* * *

  
It was easy to find the toilets, they were at the very back, to the right of the stage. Nobody was standing in line so it seemed weird that his brother was taking such a long time.  
  
As he swung the door open he found the reason for Itachi's upholding.  
  
As he let his eyes sweep over the bathroom, before landing them on Itachi, he saw 5 neat bathroom stalls and 3 sinks. It all seemed impressively clean for some shady bar in the middle of town.  
  
Itachi was standing next to the sinks with a neutral face drying his hands with a paper towel; the same couldn't be said of Kiba. The slightly shorter man was currently looking up at Itachi, fists balled and his face red with anger.  
  
"-ive a shit about your reasons Itachi, get him the fuck out of here. Naruto is going to fucking freak!"  
  
"If you wouldn't have blocked the entrance Inuzuka, I would have been gone 10 minutes ago."  
  
"I'm not done with you yet Uchiha! You better have a good explanation for this! What is going on in your frigid mind that makes you think this is a good idea?! You know what your little piece of shit brother did!"  
  
"Itachi, let's go."  
  
The two males turned towards the entrances and Kiba's face became even more red.  
  
In 3 steps he was at the door and grabbed Sasuke by the front of his shirt. It seemed like Kiba had been working out, because Sasuke felt himself being pushed against the wall next to the sinks.  
  
"What the _fuck_ are you doing here Uchiha? Weren't you some genius? Why don't you calculate the percentage of you coming out of here without a busted face if you don't leave right now?!" Kiba was shaking the front of Sasuke's shirt as he spat the words in his face.  
  
Sasuke grabbed Kiba's wrist and squeezed hard, making the shorter man grunt and release him.  
  
"Itachi, I'm leaving." Sasuke pushed Kiba away from him and walked towards the door again.  
  
"Don't you dare walk away from me Uchiha! You have some explaining to do, just like your brother!" Kiba swept a hand over his face as he gritted his teeth, the vein on his neck seemed close to popping.  
  
Sasuke gave one last glance over his shoulder. "I don't remember owing your dog ass anything, Inuzuka."  
  
With those words he made way to leave, but before he had a chance to open the door, it was pulled open from the other side; revealing a laughing Naruto.  


* * *

  
As soon as blue eyes met black ones the smile was gone, making way for what seemed like shock.  
  
Sasuke's eyes quickly racked over Naruto's body, taking in the leather jacket he was wearing.  
  
When his eyes looked up again, he was met with the most neutral face he had ever seen the dobe pull.  
  
But what had seemed like a happy, glowing, smiling face on stage, was now clearly different.  
  
Dark circles were visible, his once blue eyes almost seemed grey now and when Sasuke took a closer look at his body under the jacket, it seemed like the shirt he was wearing was hanging around his frame, no visible muscles.  
  
"Naru-"  
  
"Kiba we're leaving, are you coming?" Grey eyes left his and were now looking at Kiba.  
  
Kiba was gaping between them, Itachi's eyes also following the situation in front of him.   
  
Never had he seen Naruto keeping such an emotionless face for so long. The dobe had tried several times, but he was mostly laughing after about 10 seconds. It seemed like this time he wasn't close to laughing.  
  
There was an increasing awkward feeling in the room as Naruto waited for Kiba's answer, acting like he hadn't just seen his old best friend. Kiba, who recovered from his frozen demeanour, cleared his throat.  
  
"Dude, are you okay?"  
  
"Are you coming or not Kiba?" Naruto stuck both of his hands in his jacket. His eyes looked at the man standing next to Kiba.  
  
"Oh hey Itachi, I didn't know you were coming. I hope you liked the show."  
  
"Naruto I was going to tell you.." Itachi had taken a step towards them, holding his hands in front of him as if he was trying to calm someone down.  
  
Naruto narrowed his eyes.  
  
"Okay so that is a no then Kiba, see you later." With those words he turned around and stalked out.  
  
"No, Naruto wait! Shit! I'm not done with you Itachi, expect a fucking call!" Kiba quickly walked out of the bathroom.  
  
Sasuke's face was carrying a frown as he turned from the door towards his brother.  
  
"Wha-"  
  
"Not now, we need to leave." Itachi grabbed his arm and dragged him out towards the entrance of the bar.  
  
As they made it past their previous sitting places, he could see the worried looks that were being thrown at the entrance. Kiba was also there, furiously talking to Ino, who had a tight grip on the guy's wrist.  
  
Itachi muttered a quiet goodbye and kept dragging Sasuke by the arm past them and out of the bar.  


* * *

  
When they were out on the streets Itachi looked around; looking for Kisame. The tall shark-like man was nowhere to be found.  
  
They heard the sound of a motorcycle starting and Itachi quickly started stalking towards it, Sasuke following closely behind.  
  
The streets were almost empty; everyone was either inside the bars or going home. The tall buildings seemed almost evil at night, the dark windows only adding to it.  
  
He could hear screaming and chatter coming from the pizza place and balconies that were looking out over the street. Sasuke looked up and was greeted by the sight of 2 people making out, while on the floor above them there was a man leaning over the railing, making a phone call and slowly taking a drag from his cigarette.  
  
On the 3rd floor of the next building it seemed like someone was busy putting sticky notes in a retro shape on her window.  
  
As they rounded the corner they saw Kisame talking to someone on a bright orange motorcycle.  
  
Sasuke swallowed, there was only one idiot who would buy anything in such a loud colour; Naruto.  
  
The moment that Itachi and Sasuke were in earshot of the conversation Naruto looked up and clapped the front of his helmet shut. Giving one last pat on Kisame's shoulder before he sped away, taking a left turn on the crossing.  
  
Kisame walked up to them, wearing a confused look. Sasuke followed Kisame's hands digging through his pockets; pulling out a lighter and cigarette.  
  
"Seeing Naruto's behaviour, I'm going to guess that Naruto saw Sasuke?" He stuck the cigarette between his lips and lit it up.  
  
"I walked into Inuzuka who wasn't too happy about Sasuke. The fact that Sasuke walked in a while later didn't make the situation any better."  
  
"And then Naruto walked in on you guys? That's great, just great, Uchiha."  
  
Itachi frowned at Kisame as he watched him take a couple of drags from the cigarette.  
  
"I thought you quit smoking?"  
  
"Yea, well, I thought you quit lying, but here we are, aren't we?"  
  
"I thought that Sakura would ha-"  
  
"That's bullshit and you know it!" The sudden yell startled Sasuke, not being used to the tall man screaming. Itachi seemed less impressed.  
  
The cigarette he had been smoking flew out of Kisame's mouth, making him curse.  
  
"This isn't the place to discuss this, let's go home. Sakura said she and Lee were getting a right from Ino." Itachi rubbed his temples before digging in his pocket to find his carkeys. "Sasuke, you can stay at our place. We have some things to discuss anyways."  
  
Sasuke sighed, suddenly feeling too tired to argue. He just wanted to lie down and forget all of this. Forget about Naruto's pale face, the dark circles and definitely the dead look in his eyes.  
  
"Whatever."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah hello everyone! Sorry for the late update, it was pretty tough to write this chapter.

Naruto groaned as he tried to block out the noises that were currently coming from the kitchen. He could hear every movement Kiba was making, even when he was practically choking himself with his pillow.  
  
Every Saturday morning went the same; Kiba had to go to work, while Naruto himself had a day off. Kiba makes Eggs with bacon on bread, including pieces of eggshell, before he runs out of the door and screams that the dishes are for Naruto to clean.  
  
When the noises became even louder, Naruto assumed that Kiba was in his usual hurry.  
  
Turning himself over in his bed, he wrapped himself in his blanket before peeking at his alarm clock.  
  
'08:40'  
  
Naruto groaned louder, it was too early for any of this.  
  
Seeing the display on his phone light up he grabbed it before pulling his arm back under the blanket.  
  
He had gotten 5 messages and 7 phone calls over the night. Internally cheering that he had silenced his phone, he opened up the first message.  
  
_Sakura (23:50) – 'Did you make it home safely? Please call me when you get there. We need to talk.'_  
  
He gulped, 'we need to talk' was never a good sign with Sakura.  
  
_Ino (23:54) – 'Naruto I'm sorry! I tried to tell you, but you're such a stupid idiot. Send a message when you get home, Sakura is worried.'_  
  
Chewing his lip he decided it was best to read the other messages before responding.  
  
_Kiba (03:54) – 'Dud, I cn't into aprtment; lost key. Opn up!'_  
  
_Kiba (04:20) – 'Fnd it! It ws in pcket, can u blieve tht!?'_  
  
_Sakura (08:45) – 'Kiba sort of told me you were already asleep when he got home, good. Are you coming over for dinner tomorrow night? Shika will be there as well.'_  
  
He chuckled; Kiba had been drunk off of his ass last night. He could only imagine what Kiba's mood must have been while preparing for work. The other could never hold his liquor when they were playing.  
  
Already knowing who had called him last night he quickly scrolled through the list.  
  
'2 missed calls from Sakura, 4 missed calls from Kiba and 1 missed call from.. Itachi?' Okay the last one was a surprise. He knew exactly why Itachi had called though and he also knew exactly why he didn't want to call back.  
  
"Shit."  
  
He slowly sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, recalling last night's surprise.  
  
The gig had gone great, the whole evening had been great, except for one little detail; Sasuke Uchiha.  
  
He hadn't expected to see him when he had wanted to take a piss, but as fate seemed to constantly piss on him, it shouldn't have been a surprise. Thinking about it now, he recalled that Ino had been a nervous mess and even Lee had eyed him a bit oddly the whole evening.  
  
Placing his face in his hands he let out a shaky breath.  
  
'Why was he here? Why the fuck now? Why hadn't anyone told him?! This can't be happening, not now.' Naruto could feel his heartbeat picking up and his stomach dropping.  
  
He quickly sucked his breath in for several seconds to avoid a full on panic attack. After slowly exhaling again he could feel his mind clearing up a bit. Repeating the exercise he had learned a couple of times, he could feel his panic level lowering.   
  
When he felt at ease again, he stood up and dragged himself to the closet.  
  
Slowly putting on black track pants and a grey shirt he made his way over to the window. Looking out over the busy street he could see people hurrying to get to appointments, even on a Saturday.   
  
It had been a miracle that they had gotten the apartment. It was in downtown London, 10 minutes away from Kiba's job. It probably had a lot to do with that they both had known Itachi, the older man had made some phone calls.  
  
Looking at a girl running over the street, trying to dodge the incoming cars, he let out a sigh.  
  
"Today is gonna suck."  
  
His mind was already spinning. He had always thought that seeing Sasuke again would have made him scream, cry or do at least something, but the moment that his eyes had met pitch black, his mind had gone blank.  
  
After thinking about it last night, he still couldn't remember the last time his mind had been so empty; it wasn't a good sign.  
  
Learning to deal with his negative thoughts had been a hard journey, but he had learned to accept them. The constant anxiety, panic attacks and constant doubt had started to take it's toll though.  
  
He wasn't close to being in total control, but it was control enough for the time being. Not thinking at all had been terrifying.  
  
So his first instinct had been to put on a poker face and ignore Sasuke. Maybe it hadn't been the best action, but it had been the most logical decision at the moment.  
  
Combing his fingers through his hair, he slowly makes his way out of his bedroom, tripping over clothes that he apparently had thrown onto the floor last night.  
  
Without looking in the mirror he turns on the sink and let the cool water splash on his face.  
  
He groans; it feels terribly good, the cold water contrasting with his hot skin. The nights are getting hotter as summer vacation is nearing and Naruto knows that he is already a radiator under the blankets without the added heat.  
  
Squeezing out some paste on his toothbrush he brushes his teeth while walking into his room again.  
  
As he picks up his phone he contemplates whom to call first. Sakura, Ino or Itachi?  
  
Deciding to just send a text to the latter two he starts to type.  
  
_'Hey Ino, I'm fine. Gonna text Sakura in a sec."_  
  
_'Good morning Itachi, you called?'_  
  
Naruto decides that the messages would be enough; he isn't in the mood to have long conversations right now.  
  
Sticking his phone in his back pocket he makes his way over to the sink again, rinsing out all the foam that had formed in his mouth.  
  
"This fucking sucks so bad." He murmurs to himself before pulling out his phone again and dialling Sakura.  
  
The phone rings for a moment and just as Naruto sits down on his bed he hears Sakura's overly cheerful voice.  
  
"Naruto! Hey!"  
  
"Hey, what's up? You called."  
  
"I was wondering if you were okay? You were great last night by the way, the practicing you guys did really paid off!"  
  
"Thanks. I'm fine Sakura, couldn't be better now I'm hearing your voice." He already knows that she won't fall for it, but he still crosses his fingers for her to get the hint.  
  
"Naruto.. don't start with this again. How are you really doing?"  
  
Naruto let's out a deep sigh. It seemed like she didn't get the hint or she did and she was just being pushy, probably the latter.  
  
"I know you saw Sasu-"  
  
"I said I'm fine Sakura!"  
  
He didn't mean to raise his voice, but he just can't deal with any of this right now. Not while he was still confused about the whole thing himself.  
  
"Look, sorry Sakura. I just really don't want to talk about it right now."  
  
"I see.. I'm sorry." It was quiet after that before Sakura seemed to recompose herself.  
  
"Are you coming over for dinner tonight? I'm making lasagne. Shikamaru said he could pick you up?"  
  
Letting his head drop in his hand, he looks at his socks and wiggles his toes.  
  
"Please Naruto, it's been so long since you came over. Lee would really like it and we have Kyuubi here too."  
  
Shit, he knew he had forgotten something last night; his guitar. It seemed like he didn't really have a choice since he couldn't practice playing today anyways.  
  
"Yea sure, tell Shika not to bother; I'll drive there myself. What time?"  
  
"Okay great! I'll see you at.. 5?"  
  
"Sure, see you then Sakura. Say hello to Lee."  
  
"I will." It was silent for a moment before Sakura cleared her throat. "So what are you up to today? You got a day off right?"  
  
Naruto sighs; it was like Sakura knew his whole schedule. She even seems to know when he had taken a shower for the last time.  
  
"Yea I got the day off, but I have to go; someone is at the door."  
  
"You're a bad liar Naruto. I'll see you tonight!"  
  
"Bye"  
  
Hanging up he wonders if he has made the right decision. Having dinner at Sakura was always great, it meant homemade food instead of microwave dishes and some decent company, even though Shikamaru would be half asleep and Lee always got scolded for eating his food too enthusiastic.  
  
Sakura had been right though, it had been several months since he had spent some time with his friends that didn't involve playing music.  
  
Not wanting to worry his friends any more he decides it's for the best.  
  
As he walks into the kitchen and makes himself breakfast his mind drifts of to Sasuke again.  
  
He had looked different from the last time he had seen him. Still the same ugly duckbutt hairdo and emo clothes, but he had seemed tired. His pale expression had looked ever paler in the bathroom light.  
  
It had been nice to see the pure shock on the Uchiha's face. It wasn't often that the normally stoic face morphed into anything that resembled emotion.  
  
How long had it been since he saw the bastard anyways? It couldn't be more than 3 years, 11 months, 20 days and maybe 3 hours?  
  
Yes, he had been counting the days. No, he clearly hadn't told anyone. Not even his therapist, he wasn't completely stupid.  
  
How would that even go? 'Oh yea by the way, I have been counting the days since my old best friend fucking left me almost 4 years ago!'  
  
Naruto lets out a loud snort while putting 2 slices of bread in the toaster.  
  
He knew it was stupid, but he couldn't help it. Every night he would think about his mom, dad, Iruka, Sasuke, his friends and how he had utterly destroyed himself, while even knowing so.  
  
He had also counted the day since the last time he saw his parents, but he had quickly stopped. Knowing that he would never see his dad's grin again and feel his mother's soothing hugs became unbearable and he decided to quit thinking about it at all.  
  
After that he started to think about the day that his last string to sanity had shattered and the counting had started for someone else.  
  
"Jesus I'm fucking pathetic." Naruto murmurs.  
  
Quickly shaking the thoughts about the Uchiha off he took his freshly baked eggs on toast and walked over to the bar, pouring himself a glass of water before sitting down.  
  
He pushes everything into his mouth and chews thoroughly; he notices that the eggs taste bland; just like everything else nowadays.  
  
Planting his face on his arms he groans; his body is aching. He feels as if he doesn't have any energy left, but there seems to be plenty of energy to fuel the thoughts that are slipping back into his mind. He also realises that he needs to go to the grocery store today.  
  
Groaning even louder he reaches for the small box filled with pills that is standing on the counter. There is a sticky note attached to it.  
  
'Don't forget to take one Foxy.' A big smiley is drawn under it. Naruto chuckles; how could he forget if Kiba kept reminding him every day anyways?  
  
Popping the cap off he grabs his glass of water and with one fluid motion he pops a pill in his mouth and downs the whole glass in one go.  
  
Silently spinning the box in his hands he reminds himself to call the doctor again to up the dose. He'll do it tomorrow or maybe the day after, maybe never.  
  
He sighs one last time and stands up, putting his plate and glass on the big pile of dishes that has formed in the sink, before walking into the small hallway and sitting down on the stairs.  
  
He slowly puts on his busted Vans and grabs his wallet from the shoe cabinet before walking out and closing the door.  


* * *

  
As Naruto patiently waits for the light to turn green he glances next to him and sees a brightly smiling older lady.  
  
"Good morning Naruto. It's nice to see you again, it has been a while hasn't it?"  
  
Naruto puts on a smile and nods.  
  
"Hey miss Thompson, yea I'm sorry for not dropping by more often. It's been busy at work and with making music and such."  
  
"It's Margaret my boy! And it's okay, I heard from Tom that you played lovely yesterday. I will have to come watch you some day."  
  
Naruto hums in agreement and sees the light jump to green.  
  
"I added fresh rhubarb pie to the menu so you should come by the shop for another taste test, I'm sure Julie would appreciate it." She chuckles and gives him a wink before starting to make her way across the road.  
  
Naruto slowly walks next to her, keeping an eye on the cars that are waiting for them to pass. His eye catches the bright red hat that is on top of her head.  
  
"Did Zack make you a new hat?"  
  
"Yes he did, he came by the shop yesterday. He's such a good boy, he asked if you were dropping by anytime soon you know." Margaret gives him a smile.  
  
Naruto swallows and can feel guilt immediately welling up in his stomach.  
  
"I'll drop by the store in a couple of days is that okay? If you see Zack until then maybe he can drop by too? We can taste the pie together." He tries to sound cheerful, but he can feel how Margaret gives him a sympathetic look as if she knows how he is feeling.  
  
"That's fine Naruto, don't worry too much; I'm going to turn left here. Goodbye and take care of yourself!"  
  
Naruto waves her goodbye and walks in the opposite direction until he stands in front of the store.  


* * *

  
It's still morning so he isn't surprised when he sees only a handful of people in the store.  
  
Making his way over to the microwave dinner, he greets the cashier and some regulars.  
  
After dumping some containers of what seems like mash potatoes and chicken in his basket, he also grabs two pizzas. He and Kiba both have Sundays off, so maybe Kiba would want some pizza after their weekly clean-the-house-of-all-the-food-boxes day.  
  
He contemplates for a while if he is going to go for salami or spinach and eventually settles for salami.  
  
The last thing on his tiny mental shopping list would be washing powder.  
  
As he walks over to the aisle he sees a familiar face.  
  
"Good morning Kisame!"  
  
The shark-like man almost drops the washing powder he is holding and turns around with a frown on his face. As soon as he sees Naruto his frown vanishes and is replaced with a smirk.  
  
"Ah, hey Naruto. You're going to be the end of me some day man."  
  
"If someone is going to be the end of you it sure as hell won't be me, it'll be that 'fine piece of ass' you work for right?"  
  
Kisame's mouth hangs open for several seconds before he start sputtering. Naruto, sporting a giant smirk, reaches for the powder in front of him.  
  
"I heard from Shikamaru about your night at the bar, don't worry; your secret is safe with me."  
  
Kisame scowls and throws the box he was holding in his basket.  
  
"That lazy ass, good for nothing, idiot can't shut his trap."  
  
"Don't worry about it, we all say stupid shit when we're drunk. You didn't mean it right?" Naruto straightens up again and looks up at the other man, even though he had grown; Kisame is still about 10 centimetres taller.  
  
"Of course not." Kisame's eyes try to focus on anything except Naruto's face.  
  
"Hmhm, I thought so. Well then there's not a problem right?"  
  
There hangs an awkward silence in the air before Naruto clears his throat and looks into Kisame's basket.  
  
"Why are you here so early though?"  
  
"There wasn't anything for breakfast anymore since Itachi didn't buy anything yesterday except cabbage and rice. I swear he'll never get used to normal food if he keeps this up."  
  
Naruto hums in agreement. "Yea he needs to set his food priorities straight. It doesn't explain why you aren't at work though, didn't feel like it?" Naruto gently nudged him in his side.  
  
"Ah no, I got a month off together with Itachi and Sasu-" Kisame's eyes quickly shot up to Naruto's face as he stops before finishing his sentence.  
  
"It's fine Kisame." Naruto heaves a sigh and takes a step back. "It was nice seeing you here, say hello to Itachi from me."  
  
"Ah wait, I wanted to ask if you wanted to come over to play some videogames tonight?"  
  
Naruto freezes in his tracks. Play videogames at their apartment? Why the hell would he want to play videogames there?  
  
"Don't worry, he won't be there. Itachi is taking him out somewhere, I didn't bother to ask where to. I bought a Wii U for my time off and I thought maybe you wanted to get your ass kicked again?"  
  
Kisame can clearly see the doubt in the other's posture. Knowing how much it will take from Naruto to say yes, he tries a bit harder.  
  
"I promise it will just be the two of us, I'll even buy some of those ramen flavoured chips okay?"  
  
"I don't think it's a good idea Kisame and besides, I'm already having dinner at Sakura tonight."  
  
"Ah come on Uzumaki, I promise I'll come to your place next time. You can just drop by afterwards? How long do those dinners usually take? 2, maybe 3 hours?"  
  
Naruto mauls it over, playing some games would be great, but does he really want to risk walking into the Uchiha again?  
  
"Did you get Mario Kart?"  
  
A toothy smile appears. "I sure did."  
  
For 4 years he didn't let the cold bastard stop him from playing games, but now all of a sudden it should change? He really did want to play some games with Kisame, it had been forever since he spend time with the man. He wasn't going to let that bastard ruin his life in one day.  
  
"Fine, I'll drop by at 8. You better buy me those chips. Get ready for a huge beating, believe it!"  
  
"Yeah yeah whatever, I'll be sure to set everything up and kick those two out."  
  
"You better." Naruto mutters under his breath before walking away.  
  
"Text me if Sakura kills you before that when you spit out one of her dishes once again."  
  
Naruto snorts as he continues his way over to the cashier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think after the last 4 chapters everyone deserved a bit of a slow chapter that gives a bit of insight in Naruto's situation. :)


End file.
